kingnovel Chapter 178 Mother, are you sick?
Chapter 178 Mother, are you sick?
Ouyang Qingzheng had been feeling something was amiss when he visited his mother the other day, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what it was. This inexplicable feeling lingered, leaving him feeling rather annoyed.
After much thought, he decided to ask his elder brother for help.
So, Ouyang Qingzheng walked to Ouyang Qingfeng's study with slightly heavy steps.
As soon as he entered the room, he walked straight to the desk and sat down. He looked at Ouyang Qingfeng with a depressed look on his face and complained, "Brother, I don't know why, but Mom has been acting very strange these past few days. She often loses her mind and becomes dazed. When I talk to her, she ignores me, which makes me very anxious."
Upon hearing this, Ouyang Qingfeng's expression changed slightly, a trace of worry flashed in his eyes, and he asked anxiously, "Oh? Is that true? Then have you summoned the doctor from the mansion to check on Mother?"
Ouyang Qingzheng shook his head and replied, "Of course I did call her, but the court doctor said after taking my mother's pulse that she was fine. Because of this, I really had no choice but to come to you for advice, brother." After saying this, he let out a long sigh.
Ouyang Qingfeng frowned slightly, pondered for a moment, then stood up and said to Ouyang Qingzheng, "In that case, let's go see Mother together now. To be honest, I'm ashamed to say that I've been so busy with official business these days that I haven't been to see Mother for several days."
"Okay, we have to hurry up and get there. If we delay any longer, Mother will probably go to bed and rest." As Ouyang Qingzheng spoke, he quickly raised his eyes to glance at the gradually darkening sky outside the window, then reached out and tightly grabbed Ouyang Qingfeng's sleeve, and hurried out of the study.
"How dare you! Pulling and tugging like this is totally outrageous!" Ouyang Qingfeng frowned slightly, looking annoyed. He raised his hand without hesitation and slapped Ouyang Qingzheng's hand that was on his robe.
Ouyang Qingzheng was in so much pain from being beaten that he couldn't help but pout and complain, "Brother, why don't you just say what you want to say? Why do you have to use force?"
However, his protest did not receive a response from Ouyang Qingfeng.
Ouyang Qingfeng seemed to have heard nothing, and continued to walk steadily towards the yard where his mother lived with his eyes fixed on the ground.
Not long after, the two brothers arrived outside the courtyard where Shangguan Qin, the old lady of the Ouyang family, lived.
At this moment, a melodious and pleasant piano sound, like the sound of nature, came into their ears through the numerous doors.
Ouyang Qingfeng's expression instantly became serious when he heard the voice, and he turned to look at his third brother beside him.
Then he carefully stretched out his hands, gently pushed open the gate, and tiptoed in.
"Master, Third Master." Shangguan Qin's maid, who was busy in the yard, saw the two men coming and hurriedly stopped what she was doing. She respectfully saluted the two young masters and called out softly.
Ouyang Qingfeng quickly waved his hand to signal the maid to be silent, and lowered his voice to instruct her, "Shh... don't make any noise, so as not to disturb mother's elegant enjoyment of playing the zither. Please leave for now."
Soon, the mother and her two children were the only ones left in the huge yard.
Ouyang Qingfeng and Ouyang Qingzheng both stood silently by, and no one made a sound to disturb the wonderful piano music that sounded like weeping, gentle and melodious.
The sound of the piano is indeed moving, but the sorrow and misery contained in it seems to penetrate the soul and reach the softest corners of the heart. Listening to it, one can't help but feel the urge to cry.
When the last note fell and the lingering sound was still lingering in the air, Ouyang Qingfeng and Ouyang Qingzheng were already in tears.
They seemed to be brought back to the past by the music of the piano. At that time, their little sister was still an innocent little baby girl, always loving to pester them and call her brother in a sweet voice. Those warm and beautiful scenes kept flashing in their minds, making the current reality seem more cruel and ruthless.
Shangguan Qin slowly put down the jade fingers that were plucking the strings of the zither, picked up a silk handkerchief and gently wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes.
She stood up, trembling slightly. Just as she was about to return to her room to rest, she suddenly saw her two sons, their faces also covered in tears. She was startled for a moment, then a gentle smile appeared on her lips. She whispered in a scolding voice, "Why didn't you call us mother when you came here?"
Ouyang Qingzheng quickly walked forward upon hearing the voice, squatted down in front of his mother, looked up at her face which was slightly haggard due to sadness, his eyes full of concern, and asked cautiously, "Mother, are you thinking about your sister again?"
Shangguan Qin gazed at her sensible and filial son in front of her, sighed deeply, and looked over his head into the distance, as if she saw the once lively and lovely figure through the heavy fog, and murmured to herself: "You say, if Qingxian were still alive in this world, would she be married now, have a happy family of her own, and perhaps have well-behaved and clever children..." After that, another string of crystal tears slid down her cheeks.
Ouyang Qingfeng stared at his mother with a determined gaze and said solemnly, "Mother, please rest assured. My sister will be safe and healthy. No matter whether she marries someone else in the future or goes through other things, she will always be regarded as the most precious treasure in our Ouyang family!"
His words were powerful and full of love and care for his sister.
Shangguan Qin frowned slightly and muttered to herself in a daze, "Qingfeng, I don't know why, but I've been feeling like there's something wrong with my eyes lately. Just a few days ago, I was walking down the street and passed by that gold and silver shop. I saw a family of three walking out. The woman in the shop looked exactly like my Qingxian!"
As she spoke, her gaze gradually drifted off into the distance, as if she had returned to the day when she saw the figure that looked like her daughter.
"At that time, I just stood there blankly looking at them, struggling in my heart whether I should go up and ask. But in the end, I was still afraid of disrupting that rare peace, so I could only stand there and watch silently... Alas, looking back now, I really regret it! If I had mustered up the courage to go up and ask, maybe I could confirm whether that person was my Qingxian." Shangguan Qin's face was full of regret, and she sighed softly.
After hearing what their mother said, Ouyang Qingfeng and his brother looked at each other and fell into silence.
They knew very well that their mother's eyes had always been sharp and it was definitely not the case that she was too old to recognize the wrong person.
So, could the person they saw outside the Gold and Silver Building that day really be their long-lost sister? Once this thought arose, it spread like wild weeds in their hearts, making it difficult for them to let go for a long time.
"Mom, don't worry. I will send someone to investigate the matter carefully tomorrow." Ouyang Qingfeng whispered softly to comfort his mother. At the same time, he also used these words to soothe the uneasy heart of his third brother beside him.
After all, the incident with his younger sister back then has always been like a sharp thorn, deeply piercing the hearts of everyone in the Ouyang family.
At this time, Shangguan Qin held Ouyang Qingfeng's arm tightly, and seemed extremely excited: "Qingfeng, you must believe what your mother said!" Her eyes were full of expectation and eagerness.
Ouyang Qingfeng couldn't help feeling sad when he saw his mother like this.
He knew very well that his mother must have told his fourth brother about this, but his fourth brother did not seem to believe it.
So he quickly responded, "Mother, no matter what you say, I will believe it without a doubt."
Hearing her son's firm answer, Shangguan Qin calmed down a little and then instructed, "Okay, then Qingfeng, if you get any news, you must come and tell me as soon as possible."
Ouyang Qingfeng quickly nodded in agreement: "Mom, don't worry, I will." After that, he turned around and winked at his third brother. The two of them understood and carefully supported Shangguan Qin into the house.
After properly placing Shangguan Qin on the bed, Ouyang Qingfeng carefully tucked in the corners of the quilt for his mother and said with concern: "Mom, you should have a good rest and don't worry about this matter anymore." Then, he and his third brother slowly left the room.